Can opener



April 2o, 1954 Filed July 3, 1950 w. w. EDLUND 2,675,610

CAN OPENER 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEYS April 20, 1954 w. w. EDLUND CAN OPENER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 3, 1950 INVENTOR h/ali'cr lEdlu/zd ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 20, y 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE CAN OPENER Walter William Edlund, Burlington, Vt.

Application July 3, 1950, Serial No. 171,895

3 Claims. 1

rEhis invention relates to can openers, and has for its object the presentation of an improved structure for openers of that type which affords fac." ies for rotating a can in contact with a cu g blade to effect cutting of the can top. N5 Another object of my present invention is the provision of a simplified means whereby the bead of a can opened is constantly urged toward stop members located on the slide bar carrying the cuttinfT knife. This means comprises the use of a spiral cut feed gear cooperating with a small raised .rib on the support base to increase the hugging effect of the bead to said stops, thus preventing the cutting knife from raising out of the as it is opened. Furthermore, the use of the raised rib reduces friction as the can is reif'olved.

A further object of the invention is to provide the can opener with a supporting means which may be permanently secured to a shelf or table by screws or the like, or may be quickly attached by a thumb screw and bracket. This bracket is a separate clamp piece substantially L-shaped and having a hook on one end to engage the supporting base of the can opener. A thumb screw is carried by the bracket and cooperates with the horizontal base plate to clamp the shelf or table top therebetween.

Another advantage of the device described herein lies in the presentation of a one-piece knife holder and knife which permits ready replacement and obviates the necessity of adjustment. rlhe element rests upon an accurately machined surface of the slide bar casting.

Still another advantage of my device is the small number of parts which go to make up the completed structure. The individual elements are v simple in design and may be assembled and disassembled for cleaning and repair` without the necessity of special tools. The rotatable arbor has been increased in length to permit automatic compression of the spring element as the arbor and feed gear engage.

These and other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description of the present invention illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l is a vertical section of the can opener constructed in accordance with the principles of my invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. l.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Figure i is an exploded View of the can opener showing the parts in perspective.

Figure 5 is an exploded View of the supporting base and bracket showing the parts in perspective.

Similar reference characters represent similar parts in the several gures.

The improved can opener includes a supporting base assembly A consisting of an angular bracket having a horizontal base plate l@ formed at one end with a depending vertical leg ll. As best seen in Fig. l of the drawings, the angle bracket fits over the upper edge of a supporting ledge l2, such as a shelf or table. The outer face i3 cf the vertical leg has attached thereto an elongated sleeve i4. This sleeve is formed from a sheet of material in such a manner that it presents a vertical passageway l5 in which the slide bar i6 of the can opening mechanism is received. Sleeve iii is formed with a pair of extending vertical wings Il permanently secured to the vertical leg of the bracket by spot welding or other well known means. Also, a pair of laterally extending flanges I3 are formed on the upper edge of the sleeve and act as an abutment surface for the shoulders of the opening mechanism in its lowermost position.

As seen in Figs. 1 and 5 in one corner of the upper surface of plate Iii there is formed a small raised rib or protuberance I9. When a can is placed upon the base plate it is tilted due to the presence of rib i9 and therefore the vertical axis of the can is inclined at a slight angle to the vertical axis of the can opening mechanism. The advantage of this feature will be set forth in detail hereinafter in the specification.

The improved supporting base shown in the drawings possesses increased utility since it can be used to permanently nx the can opener to a shelf or table, or if desired the object may be quickly clamped to a supporting ledge without injury to the surface of said ledge. The rst mentioned means for attaching the base consists of screwing the angle bracket directly to the surface of the supporting' ledge by means of conventional wood screws or the like which may be inserted through apertures 2c in the base plate. These apertures are preferably countersunk in order to permit the screw heads to lie hush with the surface of the plate in order that they might not interfere with the positioning of a can on plate l.

The second means of attaching supporting base A is especially useful in the home where it is not particularly desirable to mar the surface of a table or shelf with the use of wood screws. To this end I have provided vertical leg Il of the bracket with a plurality of rectangular apertures 2i and further show in Figs. l and 5, a substantially L-shaped clamp 22 having a vertical leg 23 with a hook 24 formed on the upper end thereof for engagement with a selected aperture in the vertical leg.

Hook 24 has an inverted U shape, being preferably formed with a square cut recess 25 slightly greater than the thickness of the sheet of metal from which leg i l of the bracket is formed. This permits the hook portion of the clamp to engage said vertical leg, preventing bracket A from being withdrawn laterally from such engagement. The horizontal leg 2B of the clamp is provided with a threaded aperture 21 which carries a conventional thumb screw designated generally at 28 in Figs. l and `5. rlhe thumb screw has a wing plate 23 at the lower end thereof permitting the screw to be rotated quickly by hand. The clamping screw carries at its upper end a clamping disk 33 swivelly attached to the end of the screw, thereby permitting the screw to be raised until disk 33 engages the lower surface of the supporting ledge i2. As rotation of the thumb screw is continued clamp 22 will be forced downwardly, thereby applying a direct downward pull on the base member. This provides a firm attachment of the .assembly to the supporting shelf or table, permitting quick and easy removal of the cam opening device when desired.

It will of course be understood that it is not my intent to be limited as to the number of apertures 2i provided in the vertical leg of the base. While a single aperture would suffice under various conditions, l have found it advisable to provide a plurality of vertically spaced apertures to permit more effective clamping action upon supporting ledges of different thicknesses.

The bore or passage i5 extending vertically through sleeve i4 constitutes a guiding and retaining opening in which a vertical post ir may slide longitudinally. Post or slide bar l5 is noncircular in cross section, being correspondingly configured to the cross section of the bore so that post I6 will be held against turning about its longitudinal axis in the bore l5.

Post IS is joined integrally or otherwise at its upper end to a housing 3 l. This housing encloses the operating mechanism to be hereinafter described and is provided with laterally extending shoulders 32 alined with the previously described anges I8 to limit the downward movement of the opening device within sleeve le of the supporting base.

As best seen in Fig. 4 of the drawings, housing 3l is open at its end nearest to the can 33 which is t be opened. The housing is provided with a transverse ledge 3d spaced from the upper surface of rod l so as to form a rectangular opening 35 completely through the structure. A feed gear or rotor 38 ts into opening 35, said rotor being provided with an axially threaded aperture 31 and peripheral teeth 38. Teeth 38 do not extend exactly parallel to the vertical axis of the rotor, but instead are out in a helical or spiral pattern. rlhis specific design of a feed gear acts upon the bead of the can being opened in such a manner that the bead is always lifted up to the stops 39 .at the top of the slide bar. The stops 39 are formed with surfaces which face and overlie plate lll. The stops project outwardly from bar l5 and the surfaces formed thereon engage a can being opened. This prevents the possibility of the opener raising out of the can as it is opened.

In order to rotate the feed gear or rotor 3S I have provided a vertical arbor 40 which extends downwardly through an aperture lll formed in the upper surface 42 of the housing and contains a threaded portion '3 near the lower end thereof for engagement with aperture 3l in the rotor.

The upper chamber @il of the housing contains a spiral spring 45 which surrounds the smooth portion 46 of the arbor and the purpose of which, will become apparent later in the description of the invention. A cylindrical bushing fil is positioned above the spring and has a lower surface il which cooperates with the transverse partition 3i to compress the spring member when the opener is assembled. Adjacent the lower edge of the bushing an annular groove 49 is formed in the cylindrical surface thereof. This groove is adapted to receive a pair o2 oppositely disposed ears 53 for pivoting the one-piece knife holder and knife 5|. This member consists of a piece of medium gauge metal having a back panel 52 and oppositely disposed side panels 53. The side panels have apertures 5s therein which, when member 5l is inserted in chamber 5a, become alined with housing apertures 55 to permit the insertion of a pivot screw 5G which pivotally connects the one-piece knife holder and knife to the housing 3i of the can opener assembly.

The back panel '52 is extended at its lower edge to form a. depending knife blade 5l. This blade is arcuate horizontal cross section so as to approximate the general curvature of the can, thereby permitting a cleaner cut for removing th'e can top. Knife 5l is of the shear type having an inclined edge 53 extending su tantially from one cutting edge of the knife to the other. The cutting edge faces to the right when the opener is viewed in the direction indicated by arrow B in 1Eig. l and arrow C' in Fig. 2. Line D-D in Fig. 4 indicates the vertical lateral median plane of the knife blade. Rib le is shown to be laterally offset from this plane and on 'the side of the opener to which the cutting edge $8 faces. The rib is also at one side of the bar l.

It is pointed out at this time that heretofore in can openers of this general type the knife holder and knife have been separate elements attached by means of rivets or screws, and the proper distance of the cutting blade from the feed gear was regulated by adjustable means. The present device by providing a one-piece knife holder-knife combination needs no adjustment, since it rests upon an accurately machined surface 59 of the slide bar casting.

The pivoted member 5i forms a bell crank means operable by the reciprocation of bushing l? to move the knife blade 5l toward and away from the teeth of the feed gear or rotor 35. This permits the separation of the two elements in order to insert the bead vof a can and the subsequent movement of the cutting knife toward the rotor so as to iirmly grip the can bead therebetween. The reciprocation of bushing all is accomplished by means of a pair of cam ears ll located on the inner end of an operating handle 6|. The handle has a conventional rotatable knob G2 at its outer end and is pivotally connected to the enlarged upper end E3 of the arbor by means of rivet 63a. One corner of the enlarged end is beveled as at (is to permit the raising of handle 6l to an upright position, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. l.

The raising of the handle depresses bushing Il? on the arbor which in turn pivots member El so as to move the cutting knife 51 away from the rotor to a position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The further compression of spring d by this camming action holds the handle in its raised position until forcefully lowered after insertion of can 33. The spring further assists in retain-- ing the knife blade in close proximity with the rotor during operation of the device.

A further feature involved in the present construction is that I have sufficiently increased the length of the arbor 40 so that the threaded portion 43 of said arbor will engage rotor 39 prior to compression of spring 45 during the assembly of the device. Heretofore in can openers incorporating a strong spring such as herein used, it was necessary to have a special jig fixture in order to disassemble and reassembie the opener for cleaning and repair. It has been previously a difcult operation to compress the spring in order to insert the knife holder assembly. By so positioning the threaded portion 43, as above described, as the threads on the of the arbor enter the threads within the gear, automatic compression of the spring is obtained. This permits quick assembly of the device Without special skill or tools and without the possibility of injury during the compression of the spring member.

In the operation of my improved can opener the movable portion of the devices designated as B is lifted and with the handle in the upright position as shown in dotted lines in Fig. l, a can 33 is placed on the upper surface of the base piate I0 in close proximity with the slide bar iii of the opener assembly. The handle, while still in its upright position, is depressed so that the cutting knife 57 punctures the top of the can. At this point the handle is lowered to its horizontal position, whereby the lmife is moved toward the feed gear or rotor 35 to firmly grasp the bead of the can therebetween. The handle is then rotated and the can is automatically turned by rotor 35 against the cutting edge of the knife.

By experimentation it has been found that the use of a spirally cut gear in cooperation with the small raised rib I9 causes the bead of the can to be constantly urged upwardly toward the stops 39. This prevents the knife from raising out of the can during the cutting action. By use of rib l 9 the can is held at an angle with the slide bar. I have found that with an increase in the angle between the aXis of the can and that of the slide bar the hugging effect of the bead to the stops is also increased. This of course adds to the efficiency of the opening operation. Furthermore, it is apparent that the presence of this rib beneath the lower rim of the can decreases the surface of contact between the can and the base plate, thereby reducing frictional drag on the can as it is revolved during the cutting process.

From the foregoiing description of the present invention it will be seen that I have provided an improved can opening device containing features which are definitely an advancement in the art.

The mechanism has been simplified by the proii;

vision of a means whereby quick and easy assembly is possible. Furthermore, the cutting effect has been materially improved by the cooperation of a spiral feed gear and a raised rib tilting the can with respect to the axis of the opening device.

A further important feature herein described Til is the provision of a novel supporting structure for the can opener and one which permits versatility in the mode of installation.

While I have shown and described a preferred form of my invention, it will be understood that variations in details of form may be made without departure from the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A can opener comprising a plate, a bar slidably received by said plate so as to be vertically adjustable with respect thereto, a knife mounted on said bar, stops attached to said bar, said stops projecting outwardly from said bar and each having a surface thereon facing said plate and in overlying relationship therewith, a rib on said plate, said rib extending upwardly from said plate and having a can-engaging surface thereon positioned closer to one of said stops than to the other of said stops, said rib can-engaging surface being so positioned as to cause a can in engagement with said knife, said plate, and said rib to be urged at an angle to and against at least one of said stops.

2. A can opener comprising a plate, a bar slidably received by said plate so as to be vertically adjustable with respect thereto, stops attached to said bar and projecting outwardly therefrom, each stop having a surface facing said plate, a knife mounted on said bar and extending toward said plate between said stops, a rib on said plate having a can-engaging surface extending toward said knife and stops, said rib can-engaging surface being offset from said knife and closer to one of said stops than the other, said rib canengaging surface being so positioned with respect to said knife and stops as to cause the bead of a can in engagement with said knife, said plate, and said rib to contact at least one of said stops at an angle thereto.

3. A can opener comprising a plate, a bar slidably received by said plate so as to be vertically adjustable with respect thereto, a knife mounted on said bar, a stop attached to said bar, said stop projecting outwardly from said bar and having a surface thereon facing said plate and in overlying relationship therewith, a rib on said plate, said rib extending upwardly from said plate and having a can-engaging surface thereon, said rib being offset laterally from said knife, said rib can-engaging surface being so positioned with respect to said knife and said stop as to cause a can in engagement with said knife, said plate and said rib to be urged at an angle to and against said stop.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 396,555 Gilham Jan. 22, 1889 550,443 Deal NOV. 26, 1895v 588,911 Hoyt Aug. 24, 1897 1,587,110 Edlund May 12, 1925 1,713,823 Edlund May 21, 1929 2,009,044 Davis July 23, 1935 2,291,870 Blair et al Aug. 4, 1942 2,503,106 Edlund May 16, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 274,531 Italy May 23, 1930 303,659 Italy Dec. 12, 1932 

